Orient Automatic Curator – $290.50 w/ summer2013 ($415)
The code also gets you the Orient “freebie” package, which includes a quartz watch of Orient’s choosing and a lanyard. Also know that Orient Watches are now available for purchase through Fred Meyer Jewelers, so you can now get an in person look with one of their watches before you buy.
Orient seems to have shifted in the direction of cleaner, more classic styles in the last year or so. And the success of their domed crystal Bambino watch is proof that there’s a market for a less-is-more watch. This new “Curator” model follows in the Bambino’s minimalist footsteps, with two noticeable additions:
- A power reserve indicator
- An extra $100 or so tacked on to the cost.
These are dress watches, through and through. They don’t have that antique-looking domed crystal that the Bambino has, but the crystal here on the Curator is the tougher, scratch-resistant Sapphire.
Currently available in a grey or white dial inside a stainless case.
According to the Orient website, the Curator and the Bambino are just about the same size (41mm listed for the Curator, 40.5mm for the Bambino). But the Curator seems to wear smaller than the Bambino. I was honestly surprised to see 41mm listed as the diameter, and was expecting 39 or 40. On an average sized wrist it’s nowhere near taking over. Almost looks like a vintage watch with that reduced size. And next to Orient’s 44.5mm Explorer, it starts to look like Dwyane Wade standing next to LeBron James.
Looks like there might be some gold/rose gold/black dial options in the works.
But plenty are tired of the larger-watch trend, or just don’t have the wrists to accommodate 42mm+ timepieces. And that grey dial is something different without getting goofy. Then there’s the power reserve indicator, which is always nice, and the sapphire crystal.
But almost $110 more than the Bambino once you use a 30% off code? That’s asking a lot, especially when the Bambino… wait for it… already knocks it out of the park. (Hey-ooooo)
Enter here to win either the grey or white dial Curator seen above. Both watches are up for grabs, and two winners will be drawn at random. The first name to come out of the pile gets to pick either the grey or white. Winner #2 gets the watch winner #1 didn’t choose. One entry per person. Deadline for entry is 11:59 pm ET 7/2/13. Thanks as always to Orient for providing the watches.
UPDATE: Congrats to the two winners of the random drawing… Damion S. who chose the white dial, and Nick L. who gets the grey dial. Thanks to all who entered!